All Good Things : From Paris to Tahiti: Life and Longing

Description

In this lushly written follow-up to "Almost French," Sarah Turnbull explores a new paradise: Tahiti.
Having shared her story in her bestselling memoir, "Almost French," Australian writer Sarah Turnbull seemed to have had more than her fair share of dreams come true. While Sarah went on to carve out an idyllic life in Paris with her husband, Frederic, there was still one dream she was beginning to fear might be impossible--starting a family. Then out of the blue an opportunity to embark on another adventure offered a new beginning--and new hope. Leaving behind life in the world's most romantic and beautiful city was never going to be easy. But it helps when your destination is another paradise on earth: Tahiti.show more

Review quote

Praise for "All Good Things"
"Engaging...a South Seas version of "Under the Tuscan Sun.""
--"The New York Times Book Review"
"Turnbull makes splendid use of her journalistic skills in this entertaining and heartfelt memoir recounting the joys of adventure and family life."
--"Publishers Weekly "
"Readers will be moved"
--"Herald Sun Weekend" (Australia)
.."fluid with vibrant passages about the physical beauty of the island, its tangible lushness...At its heart it is about creative longing and quiet despair."
--"The Western Australian"
Praise for "Almost French"
"Jewels of insight--and the book shines with them."
--"The Boston Globe""A charming, insightful meditation."
--"USA Today" Praise for Sarah Turnbull's "Almost French" ...a love song to Paris and France, yes, but a love song in a minor key...Readers looking for a cool dose of reality...will be rewarded many times over...[Turnbull's] got a quick mind, a good heart and a sharp eye for life's oddities and contradictions. France isn't a place she has used as raw material for an arch, self-serving book, but a place where she has chosen to live and to become almost--but far from wholly--French...She tells the story of how this came to pass with honesty and a refreshing absence of self-importance. The emphasis in Almost French certainly should be on almost, but Sarah Turnbull seems to have gotten a lot closer to the real thing than most of us who will always be on the outside looking in, even those of us who imagine otherwise. -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World
...jewels of insight--and the book shines with them--make Almost French a worthy read. Turnbull's story will entertain, and edify, both armchair travelers and those of us nutty enough to try living here. -- Joe Ray, The Boston Globe
Turnbull moves her story between the frustration of confrontations with shopkeepers to the wonders of learning that the taste of cheese depends on whether the cows are grazing on spring grass or eating a winter diet of straw. She explores and offers explanations for the French perspectives on issues such as feminism, cooking, homelessness, and family. For those who have visited France, the explanations have a ring of truth. -- Maureen Goggin, The Boston Globe
Turnbull's memoir is a charming, insightful meditation. -- USA Today
Anyone who finds herself in a situation like Turnbull's...will be luckier; she'll have Turnbull's warm, clear prose to soothe frayed nerves. -- Newsday
Turnbull's account of navigating another culture, learning a new language, and reinventing her professional self is a delight to read, filled with observational humor. -- Booklist
...full of honest ups and downs...its explorations of the "cultural quicksand" Turnbull gradually adapts to are fascinating. I hope to visit Paris one day, and am grateful to learn so many ways to avoid being an ugly American. -- Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer
You'll love this true story of a woman who left her life behind for a sexy foreigner. -- Cosmopolitan
A bestseller in Turnbull's native Australia, this cute firsthand look at the hardships of settling into a city infamously chilly to outsiders gives a glimpse of the true nature of Parisians and daily life in their gorgeous city...This is an engaging, endearing view of the people and places of France. If books like A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun are any measure, there's a ready market for Turnbull's contribution to the European expat memoir genre. -- Publisher's Weekly
Love and adjustment in a foreign climate...she delivers so much, and so intelligently, on...her life there...An engaging story of a sometimes rocky but ultimately affectionate relationship with another culture. -- Kirkus Reviews
Sara Turnbull's Almost French is a must read for those of us who are being forced to integrate into another culture...Sara's tales are representative of what one might experience in any unfamiliar world...Like Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence and Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun, Almost French treats the reader to an insider's view of the challenges of integrating oneself into a totally different culture. -- TravelLady Magazine
Almost French...details a fantasy many women have: falling in love with a Frenchman and being taken to his country where she soon is transformed into the kind of chic, sophisticated, scarf-tying woman France is known for...she has some sage advice for those perpetually confused by the French. She explains it all, her love for Paris shining clearly through the story of her own metamorphosis. -- Judy Babcock Wylie, The Daily Harold, Arlington Heights, IL
Turnbull has a wry sense of humor, one that lets us see how difficult it is for a foreigner...to fit in, and feel at home, with the French. -- Taconic Newspaper Group
Turnbull has a wry sense of humor, one that lets us see how difficult it is for a foreigner...to fit in, and feel at home, with the French. -- The Ripsaw News
Though not a cultural study, it is as educational as it is entertaining. This memoir is a breezy and enjoyable read that offers an insightful look into French culture. -- Booknews from The Poisoned Penshow more

About Sarah Turnbull

Sarah Turnbull is the author of the international bestseller "Almost French." Formerly a television journalist with SBS in Sydney, she began working as a freelance writer following her move to Paris in 1994. After nearly a decade in France, Sarah spent several years on an island near Tahiti. She now lives in Sydney with her husband, Frederic.show more

Rating details

557 ratings

3.38 out of 5 stars

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4
37% (204)

3
41% (227)

2
11% (64)

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2% (13)

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